WYCD
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| City | Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Metro Detroit |
| Branding | 99.5 WYCD |
| Slogan | Detroit's #1 For New Country |
| Frequency | 99.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 99.5 HD-2: 99.5 HD The Wolf New Country 99.5 HD-3: 99-5 The Crossing Contemporary Christian |
| First air date | May 4, 1960 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 17,500 watts |
| HAAT | 240 meters (790 ft) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 1089 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°27′13″N 83°09′50″W / 42.45361°N 83.16389°W |
| Callsign meaning | Young Country Detroit |
| Former callsigns | WABX (5/4/60-1/9/84) WCLS (1/9/84-9/85) WDTX (9/85-7/25/88) WDFX (7/25/88-9/28/92) WOWF (9/28/92-7/1/93) |
| Owner |
CBS Radio (sale to Entercom pending) (CBS Radio Inc. of Michigan) |
| Sister stations |
WDZH, WOMC, WWJ, WXYT, WXYT-FM part of CBS Corp. cluster w/ TV stations WWJ-TV & WKBD-TV |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wycd.com |
WYCD (99.5 FM, "99.5 WYCD") is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan. WYCD's offices and studios are located at CBS Radio's Detroit facility on American Drive in Southfield, Michigan. WYCD's transmitter is located in Royal Oak Township in Oakland County off Wyoming Avenue just north of the Detroit city limits. WYCD can be heard as far north as Peck, MI, and throughout southern Sanilac County, and parts of Tuscola County. It can also be heard in Toledo, OH.
WABX was preceded on the 99.5 frequency in southeast Michigan by WCAR-FM in Pontiac, Michigan, the FM side of WCAR (now WDFN), in 1948. In 1956, WCAR moved from Pontiac to Detroit; the FM signal was dropped, leaving 99.5 FM open in Detroit. (In 1964, WCAR would buy WLIN-FM/92.3 and rechristen that station WCAR-FM; it is now known as WMXD.)
The station began broadcasting on May 4, 1960, as WABX, beginning as a classical music station before adopting the MOR format in 1964. For a short period beginning in August 1967, the station adopted an all-girl jock policy during the day, playing jazz-oriented pop music and humorous bits. The idea came from Mickey Shorr, who was program manager and creative director of Century Broadcasting Corp., the station's then-owner.
During the Fall of 1967, WABX began airing a new music show called "Troubadour" from seven to eight in the evening, hosted by station manager John Small. The show featured blues, folk, and rock music. During this time, WABX was still airing an MOR format, with an emphasis on up-tempo music from artists like Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Wilson, and Joe Williams.
The strong, positive response generated by "Troubadour" was enough to convince the station's owners to adopt a full-time progressive rock format. On February 1, 1968, "play lists" of acceptable tunes went out: the DJs picked their own music, and Century Broadcasting Corporation bit its tongue. With a freeform progressive rock format, WABX became a springboard for the new music that no other station in the market (least of all CKLW and the other Top 40 stations) would touch.
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Wikipedia